Locals are not happy with the pronounced arrival of Romanian Gypsies from the Levante. No fewer than nine mini shantytowns have sprung up near Barrio Los Alamos.

God knows that eastern Motril was never renowned for beauty but even the poorer estates in that area look like Mayfair compared with the fast-growing wood and plastic covered dwellings, within an even faster growing refuse dump.

According to locals, the first signs of a camp started to appear about a year ago – people living rough, surrounded by debris. Then came the summer and better weather, and with it a large influx of newcomers. By August there were three camp nucleuses and now there are nine.

After receiving a shower of letters of complaints from residents of the Los Álamos estate, for example, the Town Hall decided to set up a committee, including lawyers, to see what could be done – the Town Hall didn’t want to get its fingers caught in the widely flapping door of racism accusations.

Furthermore, several landowners (chirimoyo plantations) have registered their complaints that ‘individuals’ have taken them over. Accordingly, the municipal authorities have initiated an eviction process.

“It’s not a question of racism,” said the Vice Mayor, but of co-existence. We shall act, always, conforming to the law.”
The Local Police have identified around 50 people, who claim to be Romanian Gypsies. The Local Police believe that they have come over from the Almería area.

The fact is that the locals feel ‘unsafe’ and intimidated: “They have ferocious dogs that launch themselves at you – before our children used to play in the street, but now we prefer to keep them where we can keep an eye on them.

Conscious that it does sound a bit like ‘watch out the circus gypsies will kidnap your children,’ and thus traditional racism against Gypsies, the locals are very careful in how they word their complaints.